Her father was a U.S. Navy career officer who moved his family to various naval bases, finally settling in San Diego.

Its controversial subject of unwed motherhood was a raw and unsentimental view of a condition rarely explored by Hollywood at the time.

In 1953, after moving to New York with her husband, writer and producer Milo Frank (who was hired to be head of casting for CBS), her film work transitioned to theatre and TV.

She starred on Broadway in The Seven Year Itch, and appeared in major stage productions of Damn Yankees, Bus Stop, As You Like It and No No Nanette.

[6] Forrest and Frank were owners of the former Benedict Canyon home of Jean Harlow and Paul Bern on Easton Drive in Beverly Hills.